1850 farmers benefit from Gov’t PERD project in Achiase District

About 1850 farmers in the Achiase District of the Eastern Region have been given nursed seedlings of cocoa and oil palm as part of the government’s Planting for Export and Rural Development Project.

The farmers will also be given fertilisers by the District Assembly to enhance their yield. About 1350 of the beneficiary farmers will get cocoa seedlings while 500 farmers will get oil palm seedlings.

In all 68000 cocoa seedlings and 40000 oil palm seedlings were distributed to the farmers. The distribution was done based on the size of the land of the farmers.

Supervising the distribution of the seedlings, District Chief Executive of the Achiase District, Richmond Amponsah Agyabeng admonished the farmers to ensure that they they will take good care of the seedlings. He stated that the PERD project is a project at the heart of the government since the president believes it is one of the key projects that will catapult the country from poverty into wealth.

He stated that his office will continue to monitor the progress of the seedlings taken by the farmers to ensure that the project becomes a success. He added that registration is still ongoing for new farmers and new seedlings will soon be nursed for them. He pleaded with the farmers to continue to support the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo government since all projects and policies implemented by the government are initiated with the wellbeing of the Ghanaian in mind.

On his part, Oyinka Danquah Foster-Oda District Agric Extension Officer who is the supervisor for the project explained the modalities for the distribution to the Daily Statesman. He stated that aside just the size of the land, they will also look at the side of the Agricultural District the farmer’s land is located adding that some farmers in the Achiase Administrative District have their farm lands located in the Assin Fosu Agriculture District due to the peculiar location of the Achiase District as a border district between the Eastern and the Central Regions. He stated that he is therefore in touch with the Extension Officer in the Assin Fosu District to ensure that every farmer within the catchment area benefits. He said the beneficiaries include farmers whose cocoa farms have been cut down because the farms have lasted for over 30years. Others are those whose attempt to plant the cocoa and oil palm failed because of some factors and so need to replace the already destroyed seedlings whiles others are completely new farmers.

Mr. Danquah added that his outfit will monitor the farmers from the day they pick the seedlings till two years before they leave them. He said they will continue to visit them in their farms and the seedlings that will be seen not to be doing well will be replaced. He added that aside the seedlings, they will continue to educate them on best practices and will also give them fertilisers until they are satisfied that the farms are in their rightful places before they leave them.

Some of the farmers expressed their happiness about the project and thanked the government for the project.

Nana Kwabena Nkum, regent of the Odikro of Akyem Akenkausu and a beneficiary of the project expressed his appreciation to the government for the project. He promised that they will adhere to all the best practices taught them by the extension officers to ensure greater yield.

Speaking with the Evening Mail, he pleaded with authorities to realign the various cocoa districts to capture all farmers within the Achiase Administrative district under the Oda Cocoa district since the few captured under the Fosu District are often forgotten by the authorities in the Central Region.